Family of Dead Man Commissions Independent Autopsy

Uncle: Something's Just Not Right

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Daniel Sisson died in his jail cell at 21 years old on Saturday night.

Updated at 3:15 PM PST on Monday, Jun 27, 2011

A Cardiff by the Sea man died Saturday night in a San Diego County jail cell.

The county's medical examiner said in a statement Sunday that 21-year-old Daniel Sisson was declared dead at Vista Detention Center.

Sisson was in his cell at the Sheriff’s Department on Saturday night when deputies found him not breathing and unresponsive. Paramedics were called but were unable to resuscitate him, according to the coroner’s office. He was declared dead shortly after.

An autopsy will be performed by the medical examiner to determine the cause of Sisson's death.

Mike Russo, Sisson’s uncle, said the family will perform an independent autopsy once they receive custody of the body.

“Something’s just not right,” Russo said. “I don’t want this to be swept under the rug,”

According to Russo, Sisson was severely asthmatic and had underlying health issues from when he was a boy. He required the use of an inhaler because of his condition.

Russo said he was unsure when Sisson was actually arrested, but maintained Sisson was posting on his personal Facebook page last Thursday.

North County Times reported that Sisson was arrested on June 16 on suspicion of possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia and unauthorized prescription medication. He had been arrested four other times in the past year, according to sheriff's records.

Russo said during a time Sisson was previously arraigned, Sisson struggled without his inhaler.